Fusee-tube-filling machine.



G. N. CLARK.

FUSEE TUBE FILLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. I2. I917.

Patented May 21, I918.

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FUSEE TUBE FILLING MACHINE.

APPLHIATION FILED SEPT. :2. 12m.

1,267,183. Patented May 21,1918.

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Patented May 21,1918.

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QQQQWQEQQ 6. MQQGQQMO TI I H T UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE N. CLARK, OF NEEDHAM HEIGHTS, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO CENTRAL RAILWAY SIGNAL COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF N EW JERSEY.

FUSEE-TUBE-FILLING MACHINE.

Specification. of Letters Patent.

Patented May 21, 1918.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE N. CLARK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Needham Heights, in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invent ed certain new and useful Improvements in Fusee-Tube-Filling Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to im rovements in fusee tube filling machines, an pertains to a machine constructed to receivea plurality of fusee tubes to be filled with a burning chemical.

The fusees which this machine is especially adapted to fill is of the railway signal type, and they are constructed to burn redetermined periods of time, so that w on either thrown u on or left upon a railway track or right 0 way, a following train will be signaled by this burning fusee.

These railway signal fusees are also adapted to burn different colors; some red, some yellow, some green, etc., and some are what are known as combination railway signal fusees in that they burn one color for a certain period of time and a differentcolor for the remainder of its period of burning. All of these different colors and combination of colors have certain meanings to the railroad engineers, and indicate to them how long since the train ahead has passed, and the following train is run accordingly.

In constructing these railway signal fusees, it is necessary to pack the burnin chemical therein substantially uniformly t roughout the length of the paper fusee tube, in order to get uniform burning and reliable burning for a redetermined time. In addition to these usees burning different colors, they burn predetermined periods of time. The majority of them are regulated to burn five or ten minutes and are known and designated respectivel as five and ten minute fusees, either red green or yellowas the case may be. The railloads require, and the signaling systems demand that a five minute fusee must burn substantially five minutes and substantially no longer. In order to meet this time burning requirement, it is necessary (as above stated) that the burn-' for each fusee, and each charge is packed therein before the next charge is fed to the tube, and each charge is subjected to the same packing blows by the packing rods.

()ne object of my present invention is to provide means for stopping and starting the packing action, thus giving time to place a battery of tubes in the tube-rack and the filling board in position over the open upper ends of the tubes, and sometimes, when necessity requires it, stop the packing action While the charging board is placed within and removed from the machine, though usually skilled operators are able to place the charge board within the machine and discharge it and remove it therefrom, when the packing rods are withdrawn.

Another object of my invention is to pro vide improved charging boards for charging the tubes.

In the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 is a front elevation of a fusee tube filling machine which embodies my invention.

Fig. 2 is an edge elevation of the same, showing the packing element or carrier stopped.

Fi 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction indicated by arrow.

Fig. 4 is an edge elevation, the upper end in section with the arts in position to per mit the operation of the packing element or rod carrier.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a part of that form of filling board that is used for the one color fusee.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of a filling board used for a combination color fusee.

Fig. 8 is a sectional plan view showing the zigzag movement of the movable member of the board.

Referring now to the drawings, the machine cousists of a framework made up of side pieces 1, connected at their tops by a cross-piece 2. The upper portions of the side pieces 1 are bifurcated to fori'n the parallel arms 3, between which a packing red head or member 1- moves up and down, the said member 4, having reduced ends 5 fitting between the arms 3, thus serving to guide the packing rod or head 4 in its up and down movements. This packing head 1 is provided with a plurality of packing: rods 6, which have their upper ends beaded as at T, and they fit loosely in vertical openings 8 formed in the head 4, so that the head or carrier 1 may move up and down independent of the packing rods 6, when the carrier 1 is down and the lower ends of the packing rods are in engagement with the material in the fuses tubes.

An operating shaft 9 is suitably journaled at the upper )art of the frame of the machine and is driven by a suitable pulley 10 from any desired source. During the op eration of the machine, the shaft 9 continuously revolves. Each end of the shaft 9 is provided with a crank'arm 11, and the free end of the crank arm is provided with a wrist pin 12, slidably fitting Within the slots 13 of a slotted link 14. The slots 13 are of a length equal to the diameter of the circle described by the crank arms 11. The lower ends of the links 1i are pivotally connected with the extensions 5 of the rod or carrier 4 at the points 15.

A latch. 16 of bell-crank shape is intermediately pivoted at 17 and so located that its short end 18 may be caused to drop in the line of travel of one of the ends 5 of the rod carrier 1, as shown in Fig. 2, and support the carrier 4 in its uppermost position. Preferably at the point of engage ment of the latch with the end 5 a metallic plate 19 is placed on the end 5, to take the wear of the latch. When the latch andcarrier 4 are inthe position shown in Fig. 2, the carrier, is held against up and down movement and the shaft 9 continuing. to revolve, its wrist-pin 12 simply travels back and forth in the slot 13 of the link 14.

When it is desired to release the rodpacking head to permit it to travel up and down, the operator presses on the treadle 20, pulling downon a rod 21 which has its upper end connected with the outer endofapbelh crank 22, the other end of the bell-crank 22 beingconnected with the outer-free end of a lever 23, at the point 21. This lever 23 is independently pivoted at the point 25 onavertically arrangedblock 26. The ends of this block 26.are provided with vertical pivots 27 in a U-shaped bracket 28, so that the lever 23 has upland down movementon the block 26, and a lateral movement by turning the block to which it is pivoted.

The inner free end 29 of the lever 23 is provided with a roller 30 adapted to be engaged by a cam 31, on the operating shaft 9 when the treadle' 20' is depressed and the inner free end of the lever 23 is caused to swing into the path of travel of the cam 31, as shown in Fig. 4. The cam 31 is positioned in substantially the same-radius asithe cnank arms 11, so that when the crank arms-are up, the lever 23 is turned on its pivot forcing its outer end downward. The outer end of the lever 23 being connected with the-outer arm of the levenlfi by. a. link 32, it in turn depresses the outer end of the latch 16, thus withdrawing its inner end out of he path of the end 5 of the packing rod, head or car.- rier 4,

There is a latch 16 for each of the ends 5 of the rod carrier *1, and the outer ends 33 of the latches are connected by a. rod 34. A spring 35 has its lower end connected with the rod 31, and its upper endconnected with a member 36, carried by the top piece 2, which spring is normally contracting and normally pulling upwardonthe rod 34, and normplly tending to throw the inner ends 36 of the latches 16 in thepath of travel of the ends 5 of the rod or carrier head 4.

For the purpose of locking the latches 16 in their inoperative positions, shown in Fig. at, Lprovide a. locking. latch 37 pivoted at theypoint;38 to one of the arms 3. This locking-latch. 37. is, provided with a weighted;arm 39,, normally holding the lower edge of the latchBT over the long arm 33 of the latch 16,,as shown in. Fig. 1,, and locking it in its inoperative position. Therefore, when the. treadle 20 isdepressed and through the mechanism described, the cam. 31 is caused to engage the roller. 30 and operates the lever 23to depress the latchlfi in theiposition shown in Fig. i, the locking latch 37 falls overthe, latch 16 and looks it initsim operative position, thus permitting the pack.- ing rodca/rrier d to lee-moved up and down. Whenitis desiredto stop thenp and down movementi ofi the packing rod-carrier 4., the

operator depresses the treadle 40, Which, is.

connected by a rod 41, with the lower end of the bell-crank lever 42 the upper end of the lever 13 will throw the latch 37 inward and release the latches 16. When the rod carrier 4. moves upward, it moves the ends 36 of the latches-16 outward and they immediately fallinward holding the rod.

carrier 4 in its upper position.

It is necessary to stop the packing rod carrier kwhenthe fusee tubes 44 are placed.

in the tube, rack 45, and while the filling board46 is'placed in the position shown in Fig. Thisfilling boardhascavities 47 iniiteunder side toreceive the upperends the f ses bes 44 n mmunic ting with theserecessesare taper-ed. passages 48.

p Also shown in Fig. 3 is the charging board 49, which has a plurality of pockets or passages 50, corresponding in numher to the passages 48 of the filling board. This charging board also has a sliding shutter secured at its bottom, which also has openings 52 corresponding to the pockets 50 of the filling board. In the position shown in Fig. 3, the shutter 51 is closing the pockets of the filling board. The operator fills the board while it is in the machine, and then in the act of pushing the filling board in position, the projecting end 53 of the shutter 51 engages the stop 54 so that by continuing to push in the charging board 49, the pockets 50 are brought in line with the openings 52 of the shutter, and the chemical falls into the passage -18 and into the fusee tubes 44. The charging board is then immediately removed and the packing operation by the rods 6 comes into action. These rods 6 pass down into the fusee tubes and pack the chemical therein, each charge being packed after it is fed into the tubes.

In order to have the filling machine receive a large number of tubes, they are placed close together, in fact, closer together than the diameter of the tubes. Owing to this arrangement in the form of charging board 55, shown in Fig. 5, the openings or pockets 50 are not entirely closed, but as this board is used for a one-color fusee, it is not important that the charges be uniform, and the falling of some oi the chemical through the partially open passages is not important. For this reason the filling board 55 has its shutter 56 moved in a straight line.

But when the combination is being used, in which two or more kinds of chemicals are placed in the same tube to produce differcnt colors, each color must burn its specified time and it is necessary in this event to have accurate charges for the different colors. For instance, the first color must have a certain number of charges to give the desired result, and there must not be any overcharge, as would happen were the openings or pockets not entirely closed while the board is being filled. In order to insure the complete closing of the pockets 50, as shown in Fig. 3, the shutter 51 has zigzag movement, that is an inward and lateral movement by reason of the inclines 57. By this construction when the shutter is placed in a closing position, its openings 52 are to one side of the pockets, literally speaking, and in that way the pockets are completely closed, as shown in Fig. 3. When the board 49 is pushed inward, it and the shutter have relative inward and lateral movements which bring the openings 52 in a line under the pockets 50 and permit them to empty. By this inward and lateral movement of the shutter, the pockets 50 are completely closed when the board is being filled, and there can beno surplus chemical fed through the charging board, therefore insur-. ing accurately measured charges each time the boardis filled and emptied, and insuring accurate measurements for the different colored charges placed in the fusee tube. It will, of course, be understood that the colored charges in the tube may be composed of one orrnore, and usually more than one filling board charge, but in this way the accuracy is insured in the amounts fed to the tubes for their different colored charges.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A fusee tube filling machine comprising a tube carrier, a reciprocating packing rod carrier, an operating mechanism for reciprocating the rod carrier, a locking member for holding the carrier out of operation, a power actuated device connected with the locking member, and a foot mechanism adapted to control the power actuated mechanism.

2. A fusee tube filling machine comprising a tube holder, a vertically reciprocating packing rod carrier, a driving shaft operatively connected with the rod carrier, a looking member for holding the rod carrier out of operation, a driving shaft having a cam actuated mechanism between the locking member and the cam, and means for controlling the actuated mechanism.

3. A fusee tube filling machine comprising a tube holder, a vertically reciprocating packing rod carrier, a driving shaft connected and adapted to reciprocate the car rier, a locking member for locking the carrier out of operation, a cam on the driv ng shaft, a laterally and vertically swinging lever ada ted to have one end moved in the path of the cam, the other end of the lever operatively connected with the locking member and means for swinging the lever laterally to cause the cam through the lever to release the locking member.

4. A fusee tube filling machine comprising a tube holder, a vertically reciptrocat ng packing rod carrier, a driving sha having a crank arm, a link connection between the crank arm and the rod carrier, the link having a slot of a length equal to the diameter of the circle described by the crank arm, the crank arm having sliding connection with the slot in the ring, a locking member for locking the rod carrier out of operation, a driving shaft having a cam in substantially the same'radius of the crank arm. a laterally movable lever having one end adapted to cooperate with the cam, and the other end operatively connected with the locking member, and means for swinging the lever laterally.

5. Achairgingbard for 'ffise tubes,e0ihprising a main bofly portion, having VGIfi call y arranged chatgin g 'pbfzke'ts with -open ends, said ch-nrg'mg poke'ts bihg chaser t0- the Hmmeker 6f the pockets, :1 longitudihally and fiaterally movable 'shuft'r at the bottom oft-he filling-beardytha shlitte'rhavingopenings corresponding with the bpeiiings in the bom'd, where)? the iimgifudimfl anti Hit-Biff mnvemnt 0 theshiitt'er will "comglfly close and cfinipl-eteiy opn the dhhrgmg pockets.

111 tesdimony whereof I heiremlro tffix my signature.

GEORGE N. *CLAR K. 

